running of the bulls...

The boys learned a valuable lesson early Saturday morning...never wake Megan and Alysha at 4:30 in the morning. We very much value our sleep, especially in the early morning. At about 4:30, two of my fellow travelers decided it would be fun to BANG on our doors. I am not talking a light, tap that says "Hey! Are you for some absurd reason still awake at 4 am?" I am talking a pounding that startles you into thinking that there is some one on the other side of the door wanting to kill you. We let them know that banging on our door was not an acceptable morning activity; I am convinced they will never do that again. A few hours later, at a reasonable hour, we attempted to leave quickly, so the boys had time to think about their actions. Sadly our attempt was foiled when Lauren got locked out, thus delaying the quick exit.

None of us had any real plans for the day, so we just got on the train and went. This is when we played Musical Trains, a delightful game for all ages. Here is how the train system works. We are out in the 4th ring of Beijing (I think there are 10) What we have to do is get on the train here, then transfer at another station to get into town. For the last two weeks we have watched in awe as people prepare for this transfer. When approaching the station people ready themselves at the door, there is a mad dash off the train, followed by a sprint up the stairs and over to the next train. As the next train comes everyone pushes and essentially falls into the next train...all of this is in attempt to get a seat on the train. It's kind of like the running of the bulls, maybe more dangerous. So, since we are trying to absorb as much culture as we can, we decided to participate in this event. Lauren (with video camera in hand), Alysha, and I took our positions and readied ourselves for this extraordinary event. The doors opened and WE WERE OFF. I was a rookie, but I took the lead blocking position. If I messed this up it was game over, no seat on the train. I was a bit nervous, but given my ability to swerve through crowds I had confidence I could perform like a veteran. I plowed my way up the steps and rushed around the corner, bypassing those who were less prepared. We arrived at the next platform in good position, second in line, meaning that when the train arrived we could push to four across. A few moments later the train arrived and we were pushed ourselves on...elbows out ready to throw punches for a spot, we made it on and all three of us had seats. We owe a lot of our success to the train driver who stopped the train right in front of us. This was crucial. Had he even been a foot off all would have been lost. I suggest this event for all those who come to Beijing.

After our delightful ride we went to the "Friendship Store," which had a English bookstore in it (very hard to find here.) Everything was too expensive, but just to see an entire article in English was exciting. Lunch was at Paul's again, where we amazing ran into the rest of our group. Apparently we all had the same craving. I have never seen three girls eat faster. Not only were we starving because it was two in the afternoon, but it was Paul's. The man has the best food and it is piping hot when it comes out. We went from full plates to completely empty in about 7 minutes. It was amazing. The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping and roaming around Beijing.

Throughout our travels I noticed the stark contrast between places like the Silk Market versus the malls. They are worlds apart and there is very little to choose from in between. The Silk Market and the like are all about getting the best deal possible for things that do not scream quality. You could barter for twenty minutes just to get a knock-off Prada or a pair of shoes that will be unwearable within a month. On the other hand, there is the mall. Chalk full of places like Gucci, Armani Exchange, and Burberry. We walk though the mall feeling completely under dressed and as though we do not belong there. There is no middle ground, which is a hard concept for all of us to grasp.

Since some people will still hurting from the night before, we all retreated to our own rooms for the night and went to bed pretty early. No crazy antics Saturday night. Sunday would be a different story.